Ares was a son of Zeus and Hera and one of the Olympian gods. He represented the violence of war and was a god who was hated by both men and the gods. He is known for his violence, failures in confrontations, and his affair with Aphrodite.
Jump to:
Ares Greek God of War: Despised
Zeus called Ares "the most hateful of all the gods" and even went so far as to say that if he had not been his son, he would have surely ended up in Tartarus with Cronus and the Titans. He was despised by both men and gods alike, which also means very little is spoken about him in Greek literature, and what is there is unflattering and depicts Ares as weak.
Ares had a few encounters that left him humiliated.
- Athena - During the Trojan War, Athena only needed one rock to bring him down. Afterwards, she spent some time humiliating him and bragging about her superiority as a warrior.
- Heracles - Had two notable victories with the god of war. First was during the battle of Pylos, and the second after killing his son Cycnus
- The Aloadae - Kidnapped Ares and trapped him in a bronze jar for thirteen months. He was saved by Hermes.
He certainly struggled to gain any respect in Ancient Greek culture. While Apollo seemed to evolve through the years, Ares seemed to become more detestable.
Ares Greek God of War: Aphrodite and Children
The list of women and children that Ares took part in would be too numerous to mention here, but the most famous of his affairs was with Aphrodite. The two had eight children out of wedlock together. They were caught in action by Aphrodite's husband, Hephaestus when he entrapped them in a net. The gods and goddesses laughed at the two naked deities for days, but that did not deter their affection.
Ares can rarely be seen alone on the battlefield. He is typically joined by a bloodthirsty crowd, a number of infernal associates symbolizing the terror of war. His sons, Deimos (Panic or Dread) and Phobos (Fear), are almost always beside him. The same holds true for Ares’ “comrade and sister” Eris(Strife) and Enyo (the Sacker of Cities and “sister of war”). Sometimes, Kydoimos appears as well – the personification of the confusion and muddle of battle. Most frighteningly, so do the Keres, the grim-eyed female Spirits of Death, dressed in crimson cloaks with human blood.